50 Cent Says Lloyd Banks And Tony Yayo Are Troy Ave’s ‘Hype Men’

50 Cent has never been one to mince words, and he’s not about to start now. Even when it comes to his G-Unit brethren.

“They actually like [Troy Ave’s] hype men now,” 50 said to New York’s Hot 97 of Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks. He was referencing appearances on Troy’s “Show Me Love” and “Your Style,” respectively. “That’s not a shot. They’re there as the supporting cast.”

Despite those words, Fif still made it seem like he’s just an elder who wants the best for and out of those he’s watched grow. “They’re like my little brothers,” he added. “I’d like for them to work to sustain their interests in the public.”

Some of the recent tension stems from a February Instagram post from Tony Yayo, in which he declared G-Unit over. “50 ain’t rocking with me and Banks the same layed my life down for the unit but you live and learn,” he wrote.

When it came to Troy Ave, about whom the Queens rapper has been asked plenty in recent weeks, Fif played both sides. “I like the idea of Troy Ave,” he said. “I would want it to work. Just because I want something to happen in the city, period. But in reality I hear a lot of me in Troy Ave.”

Of course, understanding the influence he’s had on the game, and specifically New York natives, 50 didn’t sound like he took issue with the similarities.

“I like that; that’s cool,” he continued. “The first one was enough, to show a lot of respect on the ’In da Club’ joint. Then, the next one. They’re both featuring Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks. OK, you got the co-sign now. Let’s hear some Troy Ave.”

This isn’t the first time in recent weeks that 50 has addressed his relationship with his “little brothers,” having talked about them in an interview with Billboard last month. “I had a wonderful journey with the people I grew up with,” he said. “I think the frustration comes from shock, probably, that it’s not everything they wanted it to be. [Yayo] of all people… It’s not a secret, it’s a known fact that he actually came home from jail with a million dollars and a Bentley. Like, ’What do you want?'”

He expressed similar sentiments to Hot 97. “You can’t look at me and say I’m supposed to give you something. I get up and work for everything I got.”